The Transatlantic Series

Every fourth year Achilles arranges a tour to the USA for a series of matches against Harvard and Yale, and other Ivy League Universities, including Pennsylvania and Cornell: this tour is exclusively for Oxford and Cambridge students, and all OUAC or CUAC members are eligible for consideration for selection for one such tour.

In the intervening years, Achilles hosts reciprocal matches for visiting American teams, which OUAC and CUAC athletes are expected to support.

The series offers a unique opportunity to mix with a different culture, face high quality competition, and forge transatlantic friendships.


Harvard & Yale | Penn & Cornell

Harvard & Yale

Results | Series Records

The Achilles v. Harvard & Yale match is the world's oldest international fixture: it originated in 1894, and so predates the modern Olympics.

Overall, Harvard-Yale currently lead by 30 matches to 12.

Early matches were always scored on event wins. In recent times the visiting team has had the option to score either by points or by events.
Official subsidiary mens' and womens' matches were contested from 2005. Earlier scores are recorded for interest.


RESULTS (HARVARD/YALE)

DateWinnerScoreVenue
DateWinnerScoreVenue
DateWinnerScoreVenue

* Oxford v Yale
** Yale v Cambridge
*** Oxford and Cambridge v Yale and Army
**** The womens' events of 1981 were not scored in the match. From 1983 the overall match was decided on the combined scores of men's and women's events.


SERIES RECORDS (HARVARD/YALE)


EventPerf.NameUniversityVenueDate
EventPerf.NameUniversityVenueDate

*times converted from imperial distances (100y., 220y., 440y., 880y., 120y.h., 440y.h., 4x110y.)

Penn & Cornell

Results | Series Records

Cornell joined the series in 1921: between that year and 1950 they combined with Princeton, and in the course of 10 matches won 6 of them to Oxford and Cambridge's 4, with one tie.

From 1953, Pennsylvania replaced Princeton, and in combined team matches, Cornell and Pennsylvania have won 21 matches to Oxford and Cambridge's 4, with 3 ties. The Americans have also each individually defeated combined British teams thrice, in 1981, 1985 and 1989.

Womens' teams joined the series in 1982, and Oxford and Cambridge have to date been defeated in each of the fifteen combined and four 'individual' encounters.


RESULTS (PENN/CORNELL)

DateWinnerScoreVenue
DateWinnerScoreVenue
DateWinnerScoreVenue

SERIES RECORDS (PENN/CORNELL)


EventPerf.NameUniversityVenueDate
EventPerf.NameUniversityVenueDate

*times converted from imperial distances (220y., 440y., 880y., 4x110y.)